1 ignorance | Definition of ignorance

ignorance

noun
ig·​no·​rance | \ ˈig-n(É™-)rÉ™n(t)s How to pronounce ignorance (audio) \

Definition of ignorance

: the state or fact of being ignorant : lack of knowledge, education, or awareness

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of ignorance in a Sentence

His racist attitudes were born out of ignorance. an appalling ignorance about other cultures

Recent Examples on the Web

By no means did everyone agree, but ignorance is seldom bliss. Vicki Goldberg, New York Times, "The Moon Sits for Its Portrait," 3 July 2019 This feedback loop also allows the AI to quickly bootstrap itself out of a nearly blank-slate state of ignorance. Quanta Magazine, "Clever Machines Learn How to Be Curious," 19 Sep. 2017 This Week In Heat Vision breakdown Battle lines have been drawn on social media, and by way of willful ignorance on the parts of adults online behaving like children, Sony has been made the bad guy for refusing to give up its asset. Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, "How 'Spider-Man' Divorce Shows Ugly Side of Fandom," 22 Aug. 2019 Republican politicians know precisely how to exploit this selective ignorance. Alex Pareene, The New Republic, "The Media Is Missing the Real Story of Trump’s Racism," 5 Aug. 2019 In addition to teaching, Moreno works to counter the hate and ignorance in the media right now by being an organizer with Cultures Connect at San Diego Art Institute that is just finishing its second year. Laurie Coskey, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Someone San Diego Should Know: Jim Hornsby Moreno," 1 July 2019 White supremacy is fear and ignorance turned into hatred. Elaine Ayala, ExpressNews.com, "Call the El Paso massacre what it is: domestic terrorism," 6 Aug. 2019 And in the ensuing controversy, Zendaya could easily have let those commenters position her as the passive victim of Rancic’s ignorance. Constance Grady, Vox, "What makes Zendaya a great celebrity," 15 July 2019 Like so many economic concepts, the media, out of blindness or ignorance, miss the target. WSJ, "Retaliatory Tariffs Decide Which U.S. Industries Fail," 5 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ignorance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of ignorance

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for ignorance

ignorance

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ignorance

: a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education : the state of being ignorant

ignorance

noun
ig·​no·​rance | \ ˈig-nÉ™-rÉ™ns How to pronounce ignorance (audio) \

Kids Definition of ignorance

: a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education : the state of being ignorant

Keep scrolling for more